I love the SY85, it has a handy sequencer (well I think so) and is very easy to program, but I think DX7 is much more synth. When programmed well, the DX7 can sound utterly, massively, incredible (and the SY85 can't quite reach that level).

Also, if you consider the DX7 in its historical context, it really was a revolutionary synth; it's more than earned the respect it gets.

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Friday-Oct-24-2003 at 18:23

Joe
a professional user
from London
writes:

I don't know why this synth gets so much respect, it was easily take by Yamahas subsequent synths. The SY85 for example is far superior in terms of sound quality & user features. I guess it was timing more than anything.

Rating: 2 out of 5
posted Friday-Oct-24-2003 at 14:28

David Spero Peligro
from Sarah Connor's Stalker State
writes:

The DX7 -- ahhhh, yesss... the dx7.. well - if you're an old dubmeister like me, (a child of the 70's and a teen of the 80's) this synth is for you! Almost all of the groups i loved from the eighties used this incredible keyboard... From Lee Scratch Perry to Depeche Mode the dx7 rocked the planet with savory whacked metallic pads to abrasive sandpaper strings to a chill vibe rhodes piano - great organs and weird effects too! Well - now for the nuts & bolts... Not an easy synth to progam, but i merely modify the presets (trick 'em out etc) There's plenty to tweek in there, so if you love menus and sonic challenge, you'd really love the dx7... I got so tired of old broken down analogs, i'm also tired of those dumpy virtual analogs! The DX7 is built like a tank! It must be bulletproof! I'm serious, if you've ever been around a flimsy Korg, you know the value of a good metal chassis! SO, for a little money, you can open a window to the past, present & future.. I get sounds outta this keyboard that no one has ever heard... This keyboard really delivers! Yep! I highly recommend it... The dx7 mark 1 is great, but the dx7 II FD is really amazing! Get one cheap outta a pawn broker who hasn't discovered ebay or your local rag... Good luck to ya!

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Saturday-Oct-11-2003 at 00:38

neven dayvid
a professional user
from berlin
writes:

only picked one up recently and while i had never been much impressed with it earlier on (i´m not a lover of cheesy 80´s pop), a few hours spent with it convinced me otherwise. now it´s a fave in my setup. it´s such a myth about it being hard to program. believe me, any synth with it´s capabilities ain´t exactly easy to program. i have it sitting next to a roland jupiter-6, and both instruments require some time to get useful new sounds out of them. i found that after a few days i could make sounds beyond the weird-pad category, it´s not hard at all, once you get a few decent sounds in each category (piano, organ, fx etc) and then heavily modify them. it´s not so different an approach than on any analogue, where you´d also be likely to start out modifying some existing patch. people get so emotional abou this. don´t let it fool you. you aren´t forced to program umpteen variations of that piano sound - there´s a whole world of sounds to be discovered beyond 80´s cheese. i believe autechre used one as well. it´s easy to see why... anybody whining on about how hard to program they are, go home and spend some quality time with a roland mks-70 without programmer.....

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Sunday-Sep-07-2003 at 20:45

Mack.
a professional user
writes:

A great keyboard. Not as many about for sale as there used to be. Some are going down and their owners don't think it is economic to mend them. A great shame. Some fabulous sounds are possible. A great shame that many players stuck with the obvious..and naff...ones during the DX major years. Not an easy synth to work with. A lot of exsisting DX7s have been abused. Like M1s they were used in pubs, bars, on cruise ships etc. If buying, check to see that you've got a good one. Programming takes time. At first, things turn into a weird random screech. In time you start producing clean, pure, soulful sounds. Worth getting and persevering with. A real land mark, classic synth. Check out the TX816. 8 DX7s in noe rack. Sublime!